WTC Transportation Hub’s Breathtaking Scale

These new photos of Santiago Calatrava’s World Trade Center Transportation Hub shed a whole new light on the project.

The WTC Transportation Hub has been opening in stages since last year, with retail spaces in the central Oculus the latest to open to the public. Santiago Calatrava is one of the most famous and controversial living architects, infusing his work with the impression of movement and , seemingly, a defiance of physical laws. His latest piece is no different: The World Trade Center Transportation draws both ire and celebration, but rarely apathy.

It took 15 years for the World Trade Center Transportation Hub vision to become a reality. Chief among the loudest complaints are criticisms of an ever expanding budget of almost $4 billion (almost twice the original budget) and near constant design revisions due to security concerns. While it has accrued criticism, it has also drawn heavy praise for its sheer vision and monumental scale.

Described as a jaw-dropper in a review by The New York Times, it is acknowledged that, for all of its flaws, it is simply awe-inspiring. Vanity Fair describes it as a rarity of our time.